Posts Tagged ‘Central Park’

  1. Bean Stew, Sunny Side Up

    June 6, 2011 by justgathering

    I ate something pretty exciting last night.

    The inspiration came from Sofia and her boyfriend BT. Daniel and I were at Sofia’s birthday party on Saturday night, and BT told us about this amazing shakshuka they’d made. We were picturing it as tomato stew with sunny side up eggs on top, and that sounded amazing. When we searched for a recipe, though, all we could find was a dish that seemed like tomatoes with scrambled eggs mixed in. That didn’t sound as appealing. So we decided to get a little creative.

    We started with this vibrant bean mix. There are the normal players in there: kidneys, pinto, black beans, black eyed peas. But there were some nice stripey heirloom beans as well. We stewed these all day in the slow cooker with a large can of tomatoes, ten cloves of chopped garlic, and a tablespoon of dried oregano.

    The apartment smelled like pizza. Once this was done, we filled up our cast iron pan with the stew and stuck it in the oven to get really hot and bubbly.

    When it was nice and hot, we cracked a few eggs into it and put it under the broiler for a hot second.

    I had made a loaf of bread earlier in the day, which was pretty tasty but unfortunately didn’t rise. I think my yeast is dead. So it was a short and dense loaf, but it was still good to dip in the stew and eggs.

    A well-rounded meal.

    And the beans make for delicious leftovers too.

    The beans were cooking most of the day, but in terms of hands-on cooking, this dish was one of the least labor intensive I’ve made in quite some time. Definitely a weeknight/overnight winner. So, not shakshuka, but more than satisfying in its own way.

    This morning’s run was awesome. I wasn’t planning on doing a pre-work run, but I woke up early so I just laced up my shoes and headed out for three miles around the reservoir.

    It was gorgeous. And the other upside to moving my run to the morning was that post-work, I got to spend some more quality time with this little lady in the park.

    Tomorrow will be my third running class. A little nervous that our coach is going to up the mileage now that we’re all comfortable with the way class is run. Wish me luck…

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  2. Just Ran: 5 Neighborly Miles

    June 5, 2011 by justgathering

    Since moving in February, I’ve noticed that there are a few other lady runners in my building. I’ve slowly been getting to know the neighbors, and finally our passing conversations have begun to develop into picnics in the park and, now, morning runs.



    Today I met up with two of my new runner friends to take on Central Park. One of the women has an adorable son, and he came along in the jogging stroller.

    I had never been up close and personal with a jogging stroller before, and I loved it for two main reasons:

    1. Our small friend kept us entertained the whole time, asking questions and pointing out things like lawn mowers and cops on motorcycles. Definitely keeps your mind off which mile you’re on or how many hills are left.

    2. Running with a stroller is a serious workout. I only took over for a little while, and I was dying. I have major respect for all you running mamas out there.

    We did a loop of the park and ended up doing 4.9 miles in 46:40, a 9:31 average pace. Good run + new running friends + extra workout from pushing 3-year-old = happily tired girl.

    After that, I had a craving for pancakes.



    And now I’m knee-deep in a day of cooking, cleaning, laundry, and catching up on my podcasts. We’re having a friend over for dinner tonight and were struck with culinary inspiration. All I’ll say now is that the entree involves these beauties:



    More pictures and a recipe to come… Til then, enjoy your Sunday, friends.

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,, | 1 Comment

  3. Thankful Thursday

    June 2, 2011 by justgathering

    I’ve got a lot to be thankful for on this gorgeous Thursday, but I’ll narrow it down to just a couple things that are putting a smile on my face this morning.

    Today’s run in Central Park.

    The weather was beautiful, I had a good podcast to listen to, and I felt pretty strong. 3 miles in 27:08.

    Remember hopscotch?

    The farmers markets are filling up again.

    Yes to strawberries. Yes to amazing spring and summer greens. Yes to the giant jar of fresh pickles I’m making my way through.

    Smoothies in bowls.

    A favorite summer treat. Who else is into foods you eat with a spoon? Can’t get enough.

    Unexpected gifts.

    I got a package in the mail earlier this week from my dad. He sent me a grow light so I can start an herb garden in our sunless apartment, which I was expecting, but he also sent this amazing lamp. He knew I would absolutely love it, and this sweet gift has made my week.

    Cooking and sharing meals with friends

    Our most recent? This beetza. (I don’t know who came up with this nickname for beet pizza, but I refuse to stop using it. My boss responded with: “I really prefer cheetza.”)

    Whole wheat crust made in the Vitamix, topped with roasted beets, goat cheese, spinach and a balsamic reduction.

    So many reasons to be appreciative today. What’s yours?

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,, | 9 Comments

  4. Just Ran: Take it Outside

    May 30, 2011 by justgathering

    Yesterday I was planning on doing a cardio strength class at the gym, but it was way too nice outside to work out indoors. So I grabbed some 10 pound free weights and headed to Central Park for a combo speed/strength workout.

    I did 8 1/4 mile hill intervals with 3 sets of 12-15 reps of each exercise in between.

    Interval 1: 1:59

    Shoulder press

    Interval 2: 2:01

    Bicep curl

    Interval 3: 2:05

    Chest fly

    Interval 4: 1:57

    Tricep kick-back

    Interval 5: 2:00

    Hammer curl

    Interval 6: 2:02

    Tricep Raise

    Interval 7: 1:57

    Bench push up

    Interval 8: 1:56

    Military shoulder press

    All in all, this took about half an hour, and I was a hot sweaty mess by the end. Nice.

    Happy Memorial Day, all! I’m not sure what’s in store for the day, but it’s sure to include good people and good food, so I’m pumped. Til later!

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  5. Relaxing Summer Evening

    May 25, 2011 by justgathering

    After two weekends in a row of nonstop work and travel, I have been very much looking forward to a night with no obligations. Tonight was my night.

    First, I arranged to meet Daniel after work for a stroll around the Union Square Greenmarket and dinner. We stocked up on apples, pears, greens, onions, eggs, herbs, tomatoes, and bread. I was excited to see Hot Bread Kitchen, a company with a real cool mission that I just found out about last week. We chose their multigrain boule.

    For dinner we hit up Jivamuktea and split a salad with beets, apples, and walnuts and a portobello panini with chimichurri.

    Both were excellent.

    I came home and immediately threw on my shoes for a run in Central Park. It was too nice not to get outside for at least a little bit. I just did 2 easy miles around the reservoir since my legs were still pretty sore from last night’s workout, and I averaged a 9:15 mile. Beautiful evening.

    When I came home the second time, I noticed a box waiting for me with the letters BPC on the outside… my yoga mat from Blue Print Cleanse.

    In April, I participated in a Social Workout challenge called The Great Spring Cleanse. I won this awesome mat.

    Perfect timing for my post-run stretch. It also came with this nifty holder/shoulder strap.

    And a sweet note from the kind folks at BPC.

    Can’t wait to try it out! I’m actually meeting Social Workout friends for free yoga in Bryant Park tomorrow night, so perhaps I’ll bring it along then.

    Can’t decide if I’ll run tomorrow as well. I should probably put together some sort of training plan for the summer so that my running life has a bit of structure. To be continued, then, I suppose…

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

  6. NYRR Running Class: Week 1

    May 24, 2011 by justgathering

    Growing up, I was not an athlete. In fact, when people from high school find out that I run now, their first response is usually laughter. Then they realize that I’m not kidding, and they laugh again, this time in disbelief.
    Aside from a brief and misguided season playing right field for my high school’s softball team (during which I would often sit down in the outfield and munch on sunflower seeds while daydreaming), I avoided organized sports like the plague. Every year, I refused to run the mile in gym class. I sauntered along and came in last at 17 minutes. To my former gym teachers: I’m sorry. The seeds you planted took a really, really long time to grow.
    The truth is, I always secretly wanted to be able to play sports. I would have loved to play soccer if I’d had the coordination or volleyball if I’d had the skill. And cross country. I envied the kids on the cross country team, with their long runs and their ice baths. What a cool sport. Now that I actually am a runner, I can confirm: what a cool sport.
    So I’m finally living my dream, sort of. I signed up for a New York Road Runners running class. The class meets once a week, and the coaches take us through a speed workout designed to tweak our form and make us faster and more efficient.
    I was a little nervous to show up for the first night of class. I had no idea what to expect, and I wasn’t even sure if I’d registered for the right level. I chose Advanced Intermediate, which is for those who run a 9 to 10 minute mile. Although I race an 8:30 to 8:40 mile, I feel like I’ve missed some basics along the way and need this class before I move on to the really speedy levels.
    Daniel walked me through the park to class. I arrived, we stretched, and then we headed out.
    We took a short warmup run into the park. Once there, they split us into groups. I was with the 9 to 9:15 mile runners. We were told we would be doing 1/2 mile intervals and to try to run each interval at the same pace — not go out too fast and burn out by the last interval, but not conserve too much either.
    I ran between 3:45 and 3:55 for each of the four 1/2 miles, with about 2 minutes rest in between. I was pretty proud of these times, as that puts me under an 8 minute mile for the two miles as a whole. We ran a cool down 1/2 mile, and it was done.
    There’s blurry, sweaty me, very excited to have conquered my first coached training session. I have 9 weeks left in the course, and I’m hoping to see some serious improvement this summer. And meeting some other runners would be nice too. The people I talked to tonight were awesome, so I can’t wait to go back.
    I walked home through the park and watched the sunset, content with my evening and feeling like a real athlete. It’s going to be a good summer.

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,, | 4 Comments

  7. Just Ran: 3 Morning Miles in Central Park

    May 10, 2011 by justgathering

    Now that the sun is coming up earlier and it’s getting warmer, I’m coming out of my winter hibernation and starting to run in the morning again. I love morning air, so today’s run made me very, very happy.

    3 miles in 27:26. Not super speedy, but not a bad return to the morning workout either.

    Category run., write. | Tags: , | 3 Comments

  8. Just Turned: 24

    May 8, 2011 by justgathering

    Yesterday, I turned 24. I feel young, but you know what feels old? This blog. I began it a week after my 21st birthday, so it is about to turn 3 and has already seen my 22nd and 23rd birthdays. My 24th, though, was the best one yet…

    It was gorgeous out. Daniel and I walked around the city for several hours, probably covering around 10 miles in all.

    Daniel read in the park while I stopped in Self’s Workout in the Park.

    The crowd was huge!

    So many ladies working out in the sun. I didn’t stay long, but I did get some neat freebies, including an awesome pink hat and a Luna Protein bar.

    It must have been a freebie kind of day, because then Daniel and I walked over to William Sonoma to get a new spatula and ended up snacking on multiple brownie, cookie, and chocolate samples. And as soon as we left there, we encountered a Sabra truck passing out pita chips and hummus! My favorite. We snagged some freebies, sat in Rockefeller Center, and called it lunch.

    After tons more walking around, we headed home to get prettied up so we could go to dinner and a play (my awesome birthday present from Daniel).

    We kind of matched.

    We went to a restaurant we’ve wanted to try for a while, Recipe.

    I started with a River Horse Lager.

    The bread basket was amazing. Multigrain, focaccia, French bread, challah. I had one of each.

    With a side of fresh butter, drizzled with honey and salted.

    For my meal I chose a cucumber yogurt soup that had just the right amount of dill. So good.

    And a side of roasted golden beets and chickpeas. I want more of these.

    Daniel had a cheesy vegetable lasagne.

    A beer, too of course.

    I have a rule when we go out to eat. If there is chocolate sorbet on the menu, we have to get it. There was, so we were obligated. So, so good.

    After dinner we headed to the theater. Daniel got us tickets to see Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. He didn’t surprise me with the tickets because it’s a really intense play, so I was forewarned and was very much looking forward to it. We both thought it was really well done, and Robin Williams was pretty amazing as the tiger. I love going to the theater, so I have a feeling this will be the first of many shows we see this year. Maybe I can drag him to a musical, even…

    So there it was: a pretty perfect birthday, in my opinion. I have been thinking a lot about goals for the year. Perhaps I’ll come up with a list of 25 for my 25th year, the way Steff did for 27. Not a bad idea… I’ll post them here if I do! For now, I’m just sinking into my mid-twenties. It’s going to be a good year.

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | 4 Comments

  9. Just Ran: 3 Central Park Miles

    April 28, 2011 by justgathering

    I have had some great runs this week. Perhaps it was running in the rain on Saturday that has made really appreciate running on dry pavement since then. Perhaps it’s the fact the weather in New York is finally feeling springlike. Or maybe it’s because I brought my bike out of hibernation on this week and have a renewed appreciation for outdoor exercise after Tuesday’s 2 hour bike ride along the Hudson.

    I don’t know, but I’m a happy camper. Erm, runner.

     Don’t mind me. I’m just a sweaty mess because I conquered 3 miles of hills in Central Park.

    That was tonight’s run. Yesterday, I got out for 4 miles down the West Side Highway. Love running this city.

    Also, I love bread. On Sunday, I made the spelt bread from Cornucopia’s cookbook (a favorite), which my good friend over at Basil Exposition made recently as well. She inspired me to give this recipe a go, and it was pretty tasty, for a non-yeasted bread. By pretty tasty I mean it didn’t last more than 12 hours.

    And that’s what’s getting me through the week: plenty of time outside and good quality carbs. Happiness.

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,, | 4 Comments

  10. Vermont Weekend & Back to the City

    March 29, 2011 by justgathering

    I love traveling, for the adventures I have visiting other places and for the happiness I always feel to come home. Over the weekend, Daniel and I visited our friends in Vermont. We ate lots of good food, including homemade waffles with hot maple syrup with our lovely hosts the first morning (thanks, Ashley and Will!) and ridiculously good (and huge) breakfasts at the Dorset Inn the second morning.

    Oatmeal (with wheatberries!) and fruit and 2 large slices of the chewiest bread ever. Yes, I will have a side of carbs with my carbs, and some carbs for dessert. Delicious.

    Of course, I smothered that oatmeal in maple syrup. Because we were in Vermont.

    Other great Vermont eats? This carrot ginger leek soup from the Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT. Yep, leeks. Unexpected and quite yummy — they added a nice sweetness to this classic soup.

    Also with great local whole wheat sourdough. So good.

    Outside the Bookstore, we paused over this thought:

    Agreed.

    We came home Sunday afternoon, and I’ve jumped back into my running routine. 3 miles yesterday in 27:02, and another 3 today in 26:17. Today’s run was fantastic because I made it outside after work while the sun was still shining.

    I’m pretty proud of that 8:47 pace, especially since Central Park is so hilly. I felt fast and strong. And check out this gorgeous view!

    How could I not run? Loved getting away for the weekend, and loved coming back to this.

    I’ve got plans to make a few trips home to Chicago over the next few months. Anyone else traveling this spring? Where are you going? What are you most looking forward to?

    And what’s the best thing about coming home?

    Category run., write. | Tags: ,,,,, | 2 Comments

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